


Hang The DJ

by iamamiwhoami



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on Black Mirror Episode, F/F, F/M, Hang the DJ, Inspired by Black Mirror, M/M, Smut, cheryl blossom - Freeform, choni, toni topaz - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 01:26:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17571680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamamiwhoami/pseuds/iamamiwhoami
Summary: A system of relationships directed by artificial intelligence decides, through a database of experiences and probabilities, the ideal match for each human being.When Toni Topaz falls in love with an individual who is not supposed to be her ideal match, she'll find that no system, even a perfect and super-advanced one, can be more infallible than love itself.





	Hang The DJ

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is a version of Hang the DJ, the fourth episode from Black Mirror's season four. I really love that episode because despite of how much I enjoy Black Mirror and its criticism and mind-blows, I truly love happy endings and different forms of romance. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy it.

 

"I don't know, Fangs." She looks at herself in the mirror, pointing the small device toward the reflection. "Isn't the leather jacket too much 80's?"

 _"Nonsense!"_ The virtual assistant exclaims. _"Leather is never out of fashion. And you're divine. Remember, darling, the system is perfect. You're directed to individuals who resemble you according to the thousands of tokens in our catalog. I would never send you to meet someone who hates leather. "_

"I trust you, Fangs, you know that. I'm nervous, that's all ..."

_"It's your first date, darling! Of course you're nervous, but remember... "_

"The system is perfect. " She interrupts. "Okay, let's do this."

Toni knows nothing but her name. The system, more specifically Fangs, the personal virtual assistant, informs the name and the place when they met the chosen partner. Toni thinks hers sounds great, "Cheryl Blossom", imposing and elegant, even if she has no idea how the young woman looks like. She remembers entering the system, but not what existed before it. It was strange at first, but as soon as she set up her personal assistant of artificial intelligence, naming it Fangs, it became less solitary and more understandable the mechanisms of the process.

The system is perfect.

It will put her with the required number of individuals until she finds the ideal match. 99.8% compatibility is what they promise. For Toni, spontaneous and wild, everything seems very formal and severe, very categorical. Where's the excitement? What was it like before the system? Was it riskier? Was it more difficult? Painful?

All the questions end when she arrives at the charming restaurant. She presents the table number and the waiter guides her with a broad smile.

And then, Toni sees her for the first time.

And what a vision she is.

Every little bit.

Her red high heels with pointed shapes on the top like a winged and angelic creature. Her creamy legs covered with a very thin pantyhose. Her dress, just above the knees, also red, vibrant, pure satin. Her long flawless arms, scarlet nails against a glass of wine. Her protruding neckline beneath a small discreet gold necklace, rising to her neck and face pale as a marble statue. Full lips, as red as everything in her. Brown eyes full of mystery.

And what charmed Toni the most in the moment she laid her eyes on her: The long, wavy sunset-colored hair, a perfect cascade over her left shoulder.

Toni doesn't realize she's hypnotized until the redhead gracefully tilts her head and smiles.

"Antoinette?"

The smile combined with the voice clicks something inside Toni. She blinks in confusion and approaches her with her legs trembling over her boots, automatically raising her hand to greet her.

"Cheryl. You're early?"

"Yes... Yes, I'm sorry." She squeezes her eyes with a shy laugh. "I was nervous. You're my first."

For some reason, Toni feels relieved at the same time she feels lucky to be the first to enjoy her company. She tries to sink the thought, though.

You just met her, Toni. Keep casual.

"Oh, that's lucky. " She smiled, settling into the armchair. "You're my first too."

"It's certainly lucky for me. I love the pink hair, by the way. It suits you. " The girl devours her with her eyes before smiling with a grace that Toni can't tell whether she's innocent or ferocious, but it's consuming her heartbeat.

"Excuse me?" Toni puts her hand dramatically over her chest. "Are you flirting with me, Miss Blossom? "

"I wouldn't dare." Cheryl tastes the wine, her puzzling eyes staring at Toni under the rim of the crystal glass. "A woman in boots and leather jacket like you would never allow herself to be seduced easily."

"Can you tell?" Toni ventured to take her glass and taste the wine exactly on the red lipstickmark, whispering. "Maybe I'm already seduced."

She captures the moment when the redhead breathes deep and loudly, the eyes once provocative becoming immediately curious and soft. Toni clutches the crystal glass dangerously and swallows hardly. She can feel the electricity circulating between them, a delicious and nameless tension that makes her heart races again.

"Should we order?" Cheryl breaks the strange silence. "Do you know how this works? "

"Should we order a menu, or maybe use the devices?" Toni picks up the small circular object, turning it in her hands.

"Your request has already been predetermined, darling." Fangs's voice sounds. "Chicken pie, your favorite."

"You're a lifesaver, Fangs. Thank you." She nods casually.

"Good evening, Madam Blossom." Another voice comes from Cheryl's device. "Vegan Ratatouille, to your incredible palate, Madam Blossom."

"Thank you, Jason." She smiles politely.

"Wow..." Toni tastes the pie. "The system really is perfect."

"It's definitely delicious." Cheryl murmurs in satisfaction.

"You're going to let me taste yours?" She makes puppy eyes.

"Is this allowed?" The redhead looks around.

"Do you care? "

"Not really. "

Toni stands up slightly to stretch her fork, but halfway there it is, stretched out for her, Cheryl's fork with a portion of the Ratatouille Vegan, her red nails contrasting with the silverware. Toni can't resist touching her hand on the silver and slowly tasting the gourmet dish, closing her eyes to enjoy.

When she opens her eyes, Cheryl's hand is still stretched and almost quivering, her eyes trained on her face.

"Your assistant was right." Toni smiles. "You have great taste."

Cheryl smiles back. "Should we check our expiration date?"

"Of course, we should! Let's do this."

They smile with the devices in their hands and Toni silently counts to three, both touching the screen at the same time.

Toni's heart falls for the first time since she arrived at the restaurant.

Twelve hours.

Twelve hours is all she has with Cheryl Blossom.

The only consolation is to see Cheryl staring at the screen with undisguised disappointment, almost enraged, even though she takes a deep breath and tries to sound nonchalant.

"It's... Limited." She cleared her throat.

"Yeah." Toni throws the device on the table.

"Maybe it's part of the procedure." Cheryl tries. "Oh. There's a countdown. Great. Perfect system. " She's the one who leaves the device on the table this time, almost knocking it against the wood.

"Maybe we should eat faster." Toni shrugs.

"We could." Cheryl smiles again.

"Come on, race you!"

"Antoinette Topaz...!" The redhead pretends to be scandalized when Toni begins to devour the chicken pie. "Who would have thought you were a savage?"

"I'm going to win, princess, you're competing with the best!" She laughs while she chews.

"I can't eat this fast, it's absurd!" Cheryl takes a tiny portion, unable to contain her laughter.

"Okay, okay. " Toni sneaks into the chair, invading her personal space. "I'll help you, just this once. "

Cheryl opens her eyes, playfully amused.

"You're crazy, Antoinette Topaz..."

"Toni. " She smiles, wiping the redhead's plate. "You can call me Toni."

"You have sauce on your chin, Toni." Cheryl leans too close, gently dragging the napkin into Toni's skin, taking longer than necessary.

Too close. They're too close and Toni feels clouded.

"Sounds like we finished the meal. " Toni whispers.

"You smell chicken and basil from my sauce. " Cheryl confesses playfully.

"And you smell so good..." Toni closes her eyes, sighing the scent around.

And Cheryl leans slightly, laughing spontaneously with one hand over her mouth, her cheeks flushed, her head lowered sheepishly, her red hair hiding her, sounding a laughter so harmonious that the atmosphere changes and makes Toni feel light and content.

She decides she wants to hear Cheryl Blossom laugh for as long as possible.

 

"Okay... I didn't see this coming. " Toni rolls her eyes at the little vehicle that will take them to the cabin. " It could be a motorcycle. I could drive. "

"Are you a motorcyclist then?" Cheryl graciously arranges the coat over her shoulders.

"I don't know, actually. " She shrugs. "But it looks awesome."

Toni takes her hand to help her climb into the seat and the vehicle begins to move alone on the dark road, surrounding a wall too high to be scaled.

"It seems we have a long way to go." Toni turns to her in the seat. "Tell me something about you. "

"What's there to say?" Cheryl teases. "We can't bring memories from the outside into the system. Jason has informed me that memories and behavioral vices compromise the perfection of the program because we're doomed to make decisions and establish similar bonds when we choose."

"It stills sounds crazy to me. " Toni laughs. "I mean... In the end I think we end up choosing, don't we? Does it makes sense to let a technological system decide for us? "

"Well..." Cheryl shrugs her shoulders almost defensively. "The system is perfect.There's no necessity to deal with difficult choices, doubts and embarrassments. Relationships should be hellish befor the system."

"I may not have my memories from outside for now, but I'm sure nothing is perfect. The system must have a flaw, no matter how small. " She crosses her arms. "Where would the fun be if everything was perfect? "

"Where would the fun be if we had to deal with fear and rejection?" Cheryl sounds even more severe, almost pulling away from her in the seat. "The system exists to facilitate our miserable existence."

"For some reason you believe that the system is flawless, for some reason I believe it may be flawed. But we don't remember those reasons, we can't share it with each other. Doesn't sound fucked up for you? "

"Language, Topaz." Cheryl rolls her eyes. "That's why the system only gives us twelve hours, you're a stubborn disbeliever, fantastic."

"Hey, don't blame me cause you're not brave, princess..."

"How dare you t...?!"

The car jerks suddenly, passing over a stone on the way, making them both jump in the seat and Cheryl's body stagger and collide with Toni's, her hands falling on Toni's chest and Toni's hands protectively holding her waist. They gasp with surprise and their eyes meet, Cheryl's argument dying in her throat.

"You see?" Toni surprisingly smiles at her. "If the system were perfect, it wouldn't have a stone in the way."

Cheryl arches her eyebrows and she can't help but smile.

She grabs Toni's arm and rests her head on her shoulder, her face curled around her neck. Toni sighs and rests her chin on her red hair, yielding to the silence.

 

The cabin is charming. Toni is beginning to find that everything within the system is symmetrical and charming, elegantly provincial. She isn't sure if she likes this much of symmetry, but when Cheryl entwines her fingers and pulls her toward the entrance, she thinks she doesn't care where they are.

But the apprehension in Cheryl's face isn't something she can ignores.

She leans to press the palm of her hand into the panel, opening the door. She bends slowly inward and back with a terrified look, swallowing hardly. "It's a dump and it smells like balls, Cheryl."

She can almost feel the redhead's hand twitch in hers.

"You can not be serious. "

"I'm not." Toni chuckles loudly, staggering inward as Cheryl rolls her eyes and walks in the lobby trying to loosen her hand, which Toni doesn't allow, following her as she laughs.

But Toni lets her hand go when Cheryl twirls gracefully to scan the cabin. Her eyes are so beautiful and so attentive and Toni just wants to look at her and never stop.

There's a fire burning, the warm temperature around snuggling them. There're shades of copper, yellow, blue and wood. There're lamps everywhere. One wall is dedicated to photographs and another opposite wall is dedicated to paintings. The rugs are orange velvet with white arabesques and there's no texture in any of the rooms. The room is simple, clean, a complete and quiet suite.

Toni approaches when Cheryl stops and stares devoutly at the wall with the paintings.

"It's all so boring." Toni mutters, turning to the wall with photographs. "This one is so much prettier, it has life, frozen lives, unique moments captured."

"Are you kidding?" Cheryl refutes. "There's nothing more alive than a painting."

"What?!" Toni laughs. "Some of these things don't even make sense."

"It's because you're not seeing them, Topaz. Painting is all about the artist's gaze, it's an artist's way of looking at the world and the people who inhabit it. There's nothing more particular, nothing more unique, because none of us sees the world in the same way. Photography captures the world as it really looks and... And... "

Cheryl stops her speech when Toni opens a beautiful smile and holds it to her. And Toni can only blame her, because she's wrong, but she sounds so magnificent and adorable in her perceptions.

Toni wants to kiss her.

"I get it." she almost whispers. "But you're wrong." She joins her hands, making a square with her fingers and looking with one eye at the small space, pointing at her. "The photograph is also about the photographer's look, every little detail of the light, the angle, the minimum centimeters of the position chosen, the colors or the absence of them." She walks up to face the redhead, lowering her hands to look deep into her eyes, hypnotizing and warm. "If I could photograph you right now, you would know. You would know I photographed you as the most beautiful thing in the world to me. You would see yourself through my eyes as the most beautiful thing in the world, Cheryl Blossom. "

Cheryl holds her breath and her long eyelashes flicker over her eyelids.

"I..." She blushes. "I have to use the bathroom. "

"Yeah... Yeah, of course!" Toni puts her hand on the back of her neck, sheepish. "I have to... Couch."

Cheryl runs to the bathroom and Toni runs to the couch, cursing at the embarrassment of her own words.

 

The redhead sits in the toilet, picking up the device in her coat pocket and whispering frantically, still flushed. "Jason... What do we do now?"

_"What do you mean, Madam Blossom?"_

"We..." She gasps. "We have to...? You know. "

_"I'm afraid you must be more specific, Madam Blossom."_

"Ugh, bite me, Jason!"

_"You're allowed to bite your partner, Madam Blossom, but only with her consent."_

"Brilliant... "

 

"Fangs? Fangs, are you there?"

_How can I help you, darling?"_

"What do we do now?"

_Whatever you want to do, darling."_

"But... We should... You know, have sex? That's what people do with very short periods, right?"

_If that's what you both want, darling."_

"But how will I know if ..."

The click of the door makes her almost crush the device in her pocket, trying to pretend casualty on the couch, stroking a cushion. Cheryl approaches with her arms crossed and the blush still on her face.

"Hey." Toni smiles. "I can sleep on the couch if you want."

"You'll be squeezed and uncomfortable and you'll wake up in pain."

"Nah... I'm flexible." She plays, trying to lie down on the couch, her short feathers bending painfully into the small space.

"Toni..." Cheryl sighs. "The bed is big enough for both of us."

"Okay!" Toni jumps up, accompanying her awkwardly to the bedroom.

 

It's dark and silent. Lying in the large double bed, a significant space between their bodies, they're facing the blue ceiling, squinting at each other. None of them dare to break the silence, but the questions are running through Toni's mind and she knows they're running into Cheryl's as well.

"Is this weird?" Cheryl whispers in the darkness.

Toni immediately thinks she can laugh and confirm, but it's not true. It's not weird. It's comfortable in a way she doesn't understands. It's warm and safe and she doesn't wants to think about the countdown. She just wants to be here, with this vibrant redhead girl, even without saying a single word.

"No. it's not. "

When the silence echoes again, Toni feels the weight shift almost imperceptibly on the blanket beneath them. She feels her approaching and she smiles before it happens. Cheryl's soft fingers brushed over the back of her hand, sliding in, pulling her with hers. Their hands intertwined on the bed. No words.

"Maybe the system might have some flaw, but this... This is perfect, Toni."

Toni can't see her in the dark, but she knows she's smiling.

 

The dawn makes everything finally strange. Cheryl seems resigned as they get ready to leave the cabin in the last minutes. They don't even greet each other upon awakening. They close the door and watch the day light, timid, uncertain.

Only five minutes left.

"You know what I don't get?" Toni sighs in frustration. "Fangs told me the system always directs us to similar individuals. But we are... So different, you and I... And we don't even have our memories."

Cheryl approaches slowly, putting a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "The system is perfect. Maybe it knows... Maybe it was aware the whole time of something... Imprecise, but... True?"

"Cheryl..." Toni swallows, feeling trapped against the locked door. "We can't. Please."

"Why not?"

"If you kiss me... I will not be able to stop. I can't, we don't have time. "

"You're being selfish." Cheryl whispers too close. "Are you usually selfish, Toni Topaz?"

"I may not have my memories, but I don't think I'm usually selfish." Toni closes her eyes, her eyelashes shaking, absorbing Cheryl's fresh breath.

"But I do. I think I am. " Cheryl mutters already with her lips between hers, red and teeth dominating her slowly, her nails scratching the back of her neck and the other hand holding her tightly by the lapel of her leather jacket. Before they can deepen the kiss, Cheryl walks away without letting go of her completely, dazed. "One minute. Just one more minute... Fifty-nine... Fifty-eight..." Her voice is almost a moan.

"Shhh..." Toni kisses her again, twisting them, pressing her against the locked door, hugging her by the waist and back, her tongue sliding inside her mouth with a tangible, fierce, need-despairing, deep and devouring . "I should have spent the last twelve hours doing this..."

"Thirty-four... Thirty-three..." 

And Toni interrupts her, returning to the kiss, her hands daring to touch her thighs, holding her by the hips, Cheryl's hands pulling her hair fiercely and Toni can't believe she wil lose her in a few seconds. She feels her lipstick, her scent, the warmth of her body against hers, and she doesn't know how to let her go.

The count of the last few seconds sounds like a death sentence.

They step away. They have to.

"It was splendorous to meet you, Antoine... Toni."

"You're nice." Toni jokes. "Thank you for being my first."

"Maybe..." Cheryl whispers.

"Maybe the system will give us... Another chance?" Toni completes with a sad smile.

Toni could have sworn she saw tears in her eyes.

"It's going to be okay." She comforts, kissing her jaw one last time, her cheek, the tip of her nose and her forehead, and Cheryl's eyes are actually tearing now. "I promise. "

The chronometer beeps and the doors of two cars on the opposite sides of the road open waiting for them. Their hands are intertwined and their arms are stretched out together as they slowly move away. Toni approaches one last time and kisses the knuckles of her fingers and Cheryl's nails almost painfully pinch the palm of her other hand.

"Goodbye, Toni."

"Goodbye... Cheryl."

 

Toni feels the sweat drip and her muscles ache as she runs around the gigantic lake, her headphones too loud to let melancholy thoughts interfere. It's how the system works. The system decides. It's useless, though, because everything takes her back to that night. The sunset reminds her of Cheryl's hair. A small garden on the path that reminds her of the basil sauce from Cheryl's dish. Red roses in the gardens that remind her of everything in Cheryl, the high heels, the dress, the lips.

"How is the system sure it wasn't her, Fangs?"

_The system is perfect, darling. It was your first date, there're still many others for the system to find you're ideal match."_

"But what if all the other dates don't matter? What if it had to be her?"

_"All your actions and reactions build the profile to find the ideal match, darling. Everything matters, whatever you do and feel. The system is..."_

"Perfect, I get it." She snorts.

_"Now, darling, cheer up. Your next date is tonight."_

"So early? Okay... Name?"

_"Forsythe Pendleton Jones III."_

"Jeez... Can you write this? "

_You can call him Jughead, darling. Now go get dressed."_

 

When Toni sees him in the restaurant, it looks promising. He's already devouring a plate of chips and hamburgers, chewing with his mouth full. He wears a strange woolen cap, denim jacket, and torn trousers. He looks more like her visually than Cheryl, but doesn't make her heart go off like Cheryl did, not even close.

"Jughead?"

"Hey." He looks up, chin full of barbecue. "Antoinette. "

"Toni." She smiles sympathetically.

"You're late. "

"I... I was deciding what to wear..."

"Okay. " He shrugs, indifferent. "The restaurant is for us to eat, isn't it?"

"Of course..." She sits uncomfortably.

"Let's get this over with and check the expiration date?"

"When you're ready, Captain." Toni laughs, trying to relax.

"Excuse me? "

"It was a joke... "

"Oh, you make jokes. Predictable. But it's okay, I guess."

Toni grimaces at herself and they both touch the screen of the device. Her heart falls like in the first date, but not for the same reasons.

One year.

A whole year.

"One year." He doesn't look any happier. "Okay, we have time to keep eating then, we can talk in the cabin."

Toni can't believe her bad luck.

 

In another restaurant, not too far away, Cheryl waits nervously at her table, looking around. A gorgeous woman appears at the reception and she sweeps her eyes over her immediately, dark hair, olive skin, feline eyes, a navy blue dress gleaming beneath the pearls around her neck.

"Jason, tell me that gorgeous woman at the reception is Veronica Lodge."

_"You have to wait for the pair to come along, Madam Blossom."_

The woman approaches with a sagacious smile, arching her eyebrows.

"Cheryl Blossom? I'm Veronica Lodge."

_"Confirmed identity, Madam Blossom. The gorgeous woman at the reception is, in fact, Veronica Lodge."_

Cheryl almost chokes and blushes from head to toe, squeezing the device on the table. To her surprise, Veronica opens a lascivious and charming smile.

"You're very gorgeous yourself. More than I could ever imagine, _Madam Blossom_. "

 

Toni hoped things would get better in the cabin, but everything went downhill. Jughead probably wears the same socks a week ago, he's grumpy and complains about every aspect of the cabin, throwing himself on the couch with a random book off the shelf and grumbling the cabin is too cold. It will be a very long year, she thinks.

"Good night, Jones."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Topaz."

When she lies down on the bed alone, trying to sleep with the boy's roaring snores, Cheryl Blossom is all she can think about.

 

Veronica is a conqueror, Cheryl knew immediately. She surrounds and observes and acts with complete confidence. In the cabin, she comes out of the bath covered only with a towel and the pearls around her neck, leaning against the doorframe.

"This is my fifth relationship, Cheryl. I'd like to have sex with you right now, if you want it too."

Cheryl's heart races and she nearly knocked the ornamental pot down into her hands. Trembling and terrified, she feels herself crumble with Veronica's frankness. "I... I never..."

"Am I your first?" Veronica smiles.

"Yes. I mean, no, but I never..."

"Oh." The brunette softens, extending her hand. "Come with me. I can guide you, I promise to be patient."

And Cheryl goes, because she believes in the system, she wants to try, she wants to achieve.

And Veronica is absolutely patient, gentle, while being ferocious and intimidating. And Cheryl delights in taste and touch, in the sweat of their bodies and in Veronica's dirty talks.

But when she comes, it's the face and the name and the touch of Toni Topaz in her mind.

When Veronica kisses her in the most experienced and engaging way possible, Toni's kiss is all she can think about.

 

Toni discovers that there're many public marriages in the system. Some couples are so grateful and pleased that they decide to share their marriages with other individuals. Jughead immediately runs away from her to attack the candy and snacks on the table, and Toni almost rolls her eyes, tightening her jacket over her lacy black dress, kicking the pebbles on the floor with her boots.

In her solitary frustration among so many happy couples around, she sees her.

And Toni knew it would be like this. She knew her heart would rush wild as soon as she saw her again and she was as beautiful as before. The high heels are golden this time, her legs bare, an emerald green dress with a golden belt around her waist. Her hair in a ponytail, bright and gorgeous and her lips red and Toni thinks she can fall inconspicuously at any moment.

Until an elegant woman approaches and puts her arm around the redhead's waist, offering her a glass of champagne.

Toni's heart falls for the third time for a different reason, but all the reasons are always related to Cheryl Blossom.

"Welcome, dear friends!" A man's voice draws her from her thoughts and she stands beside Jughead, who doesn''t stop devouring the food to hear the speech. "We're so happy to welcome you here today!"

His name is Kevin and he looks radiant in a white suit. Besides him, a man in a black suit smiles with his hand tied to his, Joaquin, hisideal match chosen by the system.

"The system is perfect." Kevin laughs excitedly. "Trust in it, it gave us the love of our lives, today and forever!"

The individuals applaud and Toni feels inexplicably apprehensive.

She walks away from the party at dusk, staring her reflection in the pond, the yellow decoration lamps floating above. Jughead continues to devour the buffet. On the one hand it's strange, but on the other hand, she thinks, he's authentic and doesn't care what anyone say or think. On the third hand, it's free.

Suddenly everything goes dark. Soft hands cover her eyes and Toni shivers in alarm before she breathes in the scent that surrounds her.

_Cheryl._

Toni can feel her breath on her neck.

"Hey."

"Hey." She turns, holding the redhead's hands, watching her now covered by a long velvet coat. "You're here. "

"I am. " Cheryl smiles, her brown eyes glittering at her. "It's been months... "

"Five months. " Toni laughs humorlessly. "You look beautiful, Cheryl."

"You look amazing, Toni. I'm happy to see you kept the leather jacket on."

"Always. " She bows.

"I saw you earlier with your..."

"Jughead. His name is Jughead. The hungry animal at the buffet."

"He looks... Nice." Cheryl shrugs.

"And you're here with your..."

"Veronica Lodge."

"For how long? "

"Nine months. You?"

"One year. "

"Oh... Are you happy?"

"How could I...? "

The reply sounds uncontrollable from Toni's mouth and she almost regretted it, were it not for Cheryl's sad, gentle smile. The redhead blushes and lets go of her hands, approaching to tickle her belly, trying to deflect the heavy atmosphere around them. "Are you happy now, Topaz?" She mocks as Toni starts laughing and tries to pull away from her nimble fingers, stumbling back.

She doesn't realize until it's too late.

Toni slides in the grass and falls into the deep lake.

"Oh, Lord, forgive me, Toni!" Cheryl tries not to laugh.

But Toni doesn't respond and starts struggling violently in the cold water. Cheryl almost screams when she realizes Toni doesn't knows how to swim, ripping off the gold heels and the coat and graciously diving, catching her from behind and pulling her to the shore. Toni begins to cough and spit out sprinkles of water while Cheryl beats as carefully as possible on her back.

Toni lies down and looks up at the sky, still stunned. Cheryl almost lies on top of her and caresses her face with reverence, worried, her eyes almost bursting with tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She whispers tenderly. "Are you okay? Should I search for a doctor? Toni, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault! "

Toni surprises her with a smile. She closes her eyes to enjoy the redhead's caresses on her trembling face, holding her arms so she doesn't stop.

"I'm okay. You saved me, it's okay."

"But I shouldn't have tickled you so close to the water, it was so reckless and you could have drowned and I..."

"Wow... " Toni interrupts, cocked. "How can you be so beautiful freaking out with guilt like that? "

"Toni..." She whispers, the pain latent in her voice. She helps Toni sit on the grass and picks up her coat on the high heels, wrapping Toni in the warm, soft velvet, rubbing her arms to warm her.

"Cheryl!" Veronica's voice echoes and she walks across the lawn, sick with worry, kneeling in the grass beside her. "What happened? Are you okay?" She notices the closeness of the two of them and frowns. "Who is this? "

"Ronnie." Cheryl cleans her throat. "Ronnie, this is Toni. We date before... You. "

"Twelve hours only." Toni chuckles, clutching Veronica's hand.

"I'm sorry for you." Veronica says without hesitation, squeezing Toni's hand more firmly than necessary.

Cheryl doesn't even notices the harshness. She's looking at Toni. Toni steals her attention. Toni shines brighter than Veronica's pearls, brighter than the party's yellow lamps, brighter than the stars on the night sky.

And Toni is all she can see.

"We should go." Veronica puts her coat over Cheryl's shoulders and holds her up.

"I will not leave until I'm sure she's fine, Ronnie." Cheryl determines.

"Hey, I'm okay." Toni smiles sweetly. "Go. Jughead is coming."

"Toni..." She whimpers.

"It's okay, Cheryl. I'm okay. Promise. Go. "

And Veronica practically carries her with her.

Cheryl looks back until she disappears from sight.

Toni hugs her own body and inspires Cheryl's perfume on her coat.

Jughead helps her get to the car, but he doesn't bother to ask what happened.

 

After the wedding, Toni and Cheryl enter separately in an apathetic and torturously slow trance.

Jughead is increasingly grumpy and shut in his world. They're two strangers attached to each other, they don't talk, they don't touch each other and the clock seems to creep into punishment. And Veronica spirals with the unexpected silent rejection and everything collapses. They fight all the time and get hurt with words. Sex becomes insufficient and Cheryl feels they're two ghosts lost in a cabin.

When the device is in the last seconds, Veronica holds her affectionately and whispers an painful apology.

For Toni and Jughead, there's still three months left.

 

Surprisingly, Toni confronts him for the first time on a rainy night. When he reveals to be asexual and he has problems with relationships and he sounds very embarrassed and guilty, and she sees him expressing emotion for the first time. He says he doesn't know why he entered the system and he regrets wasting her time. She holds his hand and they talk about everything and about nothing too for the first time.

Toni thinks she made a friend.

They clean the cabin and cook and read together and he seems happy every day.

 

Cheryl, on the other hand, is cast in a series of short dates.

Thirty-six hours.

Always thirty-six hours.

The first is Ethel Muggs. They spend their thirty-six hours laughing with board games and peach juice. When Ethel says she's never been kissed, Cheryl shows her the way.

The second is Midge Klump. They drag the couch and dance for hours. Midge tells about Moose, the date she had before Cheryl and Cheryl expects her to meet him again in the same way, though she doesn't tell her about it, she hopes to find Toni Topaz again.

The third is Valerie Brown. She is beautiful and confident and composes beautiful songs in limited fifteen minutes. She composes one about Cheryl's hair and her charm is essential for an intense night of pleasure. They say goodbye with a soflty hug.

The fourth is Elizabeth Cooper. She looks behaved and resigned in the restaurant and Cheryl almost gets scared when she leaves the bathroom at the cabin and finds her in a black bodice with a whip in her hands. They aren't really a good match, but Cheryl manages to avoid conflict until the expiration date. They say goodbye shaking their hands.

The fifth is Josephine Mccoy and Cheryl, despite of not being able to take Toni Topaz out of her head, is charmed by her talent and graciousness. When they get to the cabin, though, Josie starts crying and apologizing, saying she's embarrassed because she's heterosexual, but she thought she should have an experience with a girl because men always disappoint her, but Cheryl is too special for her to use her. Cheryl hugs her on the couch as they share a bottle of wine and convinces her that she can't give in to something she doesn't really want because she's afraid of suffering. They say goodbye as good friends.

Cheryl is exhausted of so many purposeless dates.

 

Fangs reveals the name of the next date and Toni dresses more quickly than she ever could, leaving the slow car and running in the dark tracks toward the restaurant.

Cheryl Blossom. She has a chance again.

She arrives to find Cheryl devouring the Vegan Ratatouille. She runs to the table, ignoring the curious glances, taking the chicken pie in her hands and beginning to devour. Cheryl laughs and covers her mouth, delighted and anxious and Toni entwines her hands and the two leave the restaurant with Toni still chewing the last piece of the pie.

In the vehicle, trying to appease the electrifying energy between them, Toni lets go of her hand to pick up the device. "Let's check the expiration date? I can't waste a second, not again."

"Can we... Not to check?" Cheryl asks sheepishly. "I've been in several short, random dates and I don't know if I can handle it if this is like the others. Can we just... Enjoy it?"

Toni smiles. "Whatever you want, Cheryl."

Toni is kissing her before they even enter the cabin. She presses her against the locked door and slides her lips to her pale neck, her hands rising under the silk blouse between her skirt and her bra, stroking it eagerly. Cheryl gasps awkwardly and tries to scatter the panel. The door opens and the two stagger inside. Toni pushes the door with her foot and continues to kiss her, unable to stop.

Cheryl holds her face and pulls them away, Toni's lips trembling under her thumbs. "Calm down, ma chérie... " She strokes her nose with hers. "I'm here. You don't need to despair. We're here."

"I waited..." Toni gasps. "I waited for so long. One year and you were all I could think about. One year and all I wanted was you." She whimpers and slids a thigh between Cheryl's legs, needy.

Something fierce and impulsive erupts inside Cheryl.

She drags her nails into Toni's shoulders to get rid of the jacket and opens the jeans shirt with the same ferocity, Toni's buttons flying across the floor. Toni bends over and undoes the laces on the red dress back, dragging a hand on her thigh in the crevice of her dress, pulling her up until it's discarded on the floor.

Cheryl's eyes mirror the same adoration as hers, and Toni almost feels moved by the way the redhead bites her lips and runs her tongue between them.

They do not remember what it's like to live outside the system, but they're sure somehow they never felt this way. The need, the intensity, everything, everything collapsing within them with the absence that consumed them during all those months away.

Toni kisses and reveres every inch of her between the sheets, she discovers her with lips, teeth and tongue, she stimulates every nerve, she rejoices with every sigh and sharp moan as she slides her fingers inside of Cheryl, looking in her eyes, remembering, memorizing she's the most beautiful thing Toni has ever seen.

And Cheryl turns her inside out, uncovering every crevice, every place inside Toni that makes her scream and shudder and beg for more. Her fingernails making trails and her lips are tilting maps on Toni's body and she doesn't dare stop until Toni whimpers in exhaustion.

They rub against each other, every position, every touch, every experience that pulls choked gasps from the bottom of their throats, the dawn raining outside and they're still unstoppable, still burning, on the bed, on the kitchen counter, on the rug in front of the fireplace, marking the cabin with intimate, furious passion.

The frenzy ends with them squeezed into the tiny couch, laughing, flushed, exhausted and hungry. And Toni doesn't care about the system.

It's her. It has to be her.

 

"I can't believe you had a date with a straight girl." Toni laughs as they walk on the edge of the lake, drinking tea on a cold day, wrapped in coats and scarves, arm in arm, Cheryl's head against her shoulder.

"Josie is adorable, but it was a strange surprise." The redhead laughs, hiding her face against her neck. "I began to wonder if the system can be... Random."

"What do you mean? "

"Perhaps the system throws us from one date to another randomly, without carefully selecting the pairs, only making us experience a series of frivolous encounters until we're tired enough to accept a definitive pair."

"You always believed the system was perfect." Toni arches an eyebrow. "It put us together again. I came to believe there's a reason."

"What, as if the system wanted us to be together?" Cheryl mocks.

"It's an artificial intelligence, there's a purpose above logicm right?"

"If we're above logic, then we should never worry about the expiration date, TT."

TT.

Toni loves to hear it.

But Cheryl's words are etched into her.

_The expiration date._

 

When Cheryl tries to teach her how to swim in the public swimming pool, Toni thinks about the expiration date.

When they glimpse an immense field of exotic flowers and Cheryl looks like a creature of fairy tales whirling among the colors, Toni thinks about the expiration date.

When they shower together in the bathtub, making hairstyles and mustaches with the lather, kissing insanely, Cheryl rising and rolling in her lap provocatively, Toni thinks about the expiration date.

When Cheryl presses her against the wall of paintings and speaks French in her ears, her fingers between Toni's legs, her teeth scraping on Toni's ear, Toni cums and groans and kisses her desperately, but she is thinking about the expiration date.

She succumbs on the seventh night, when Cheryl is angelically asleep, naked, only with Toni's leather jacket wrapped around her.

Toni sneaks out of the room and holds the device close. "Fangs?"

_"Good night, darling. How can I help you?"_

"Fangs... I need to know."

_"What do you want to know, darling?"_

"The expiration date. How much time I still have with Cheryl."

_"Are you sure? "_

"Yes. No. I mean... I don't know. Tell me what to do, Fangs."

Fangs is silent. The round screen displays the option for discover the expiration date. Toni thinks she can't do it. She told Cheryl they wouldn't check. _Anything you want_ , she told Cheryl. But uncertainty is destroying her. If it's one day only, she needs to live the most intense. If it's one year, she can stay in peace. She needs to know if she's going to lose Cheryl soon or if she's going to have time for her to continue falling in love irrevocably with her.

She presses her thumb on the screen.

Five years.

It's like breathing again.

She has five years to _live_ Cheryl Blossom.

But suddenly the screen blinks red and Fangs' voice comes back robotic and more apathetic than ever.

_"Recalibrating."_

_"Recalibrating."_

Three years.

"Fangs? Fangs!" She despairs, running out to not wake Cheryl. "Fangs, what's going on? The time is getting shorter!"

_"Recalibrating."_

_"Recalibrating."_

"Stop! Stop now!" She presses her fingers against the screen frantically.

_"One of the individuals has destabilized the expiration date. Recalibrating."_

Eighteen months.

"I don't want this! Please!"

_"Recalibrating."_

_"Recalibrating."_

"Please bring it back!"

_"Once recalculated the date can't be extended."_

_"Recalibrating."_

Two months.

"No... No, when will it stop?!"

_"When the system is stabilized."_

Three weeks.

"Why?! I didn't ask for this, you can't...!"

_"Everything happens for a reason. The system is perfect."_

"Fuck the fucking system! Stop it now!"

Five days.

"No... Cheryl... Stop! Stop! Stop right now!"

Twenty hours.

The countdown begins.

Toni only realizes she's crying when the tears fall on the screen into her trembling hands. She falls and slides against the door, biting her lip to keep herself from screaming. Twenty hours. She'll miss Cheryl Blossom in twenty hours.

She doesn't know how she creeps back to the cabin, but she goes through the night staring at the window, the countdown device inside her pocket. Tears dry because she can no longer produce them. She feels hollow and stupid.

How could she be so stupid?

Cheryl wakes up happily and jumps out of bed, running to hug her from behind and kiss her jaw, feeling her tense immediately. Her smile falls and she caresses Toni's face to bring it to her.

"Are you okay, TT?"

"Yeah." Toni forces a smile. "Just couldn't sleep. It's okay."

But it's not. And Toni knows Cheryl is too smart not to notice.

 

In the cabin, at the lake, on the ice cream shop, walking among the pines. They are distant and Cheryl is sad and Toni corrodes with guilt twice.

She can't lose this girl.

Not now. Never.

Because it's her. Toni knows it's her.

"That's enough." Cheryl drops her hand and crosses her arms in the bandstand where they went almost every morning they passed together. "What is going on, TT?"

Toni feels the tears she thought had exhausted coming back.

"I... I checked."

"What...? "

"I checked, Cheryl. Last night."

"What do you c..." Then she realizes. "We... We promised not to check."

"Don't you want to know how much time we have?"

"No! That was specifically the reason I didn't want to check!"

Toni knows she's much more devastated than angry. "It's almost over, Cheryl."

"How long, Toni?"

"About... An hour... Maybe."

Tears slip on Cheryl's face and Toni wants to hit herself. "Why... Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I wish you had a good day."

"A good day?!" She shouts. "With you avoiding me, pushing me away, making me feel like I've done something wrong?!"

"No!" Toni tries to approach, feeling the rejection as the redhead pulls away. "No, you would never do anything wrong. You're perfect. It should be five years ..."

"Five years, Antoinette?!"

"When I checked it started to shorten, I don't know why, I tried... "

"The reason was you! You ruined it!"

"I didn't want to! "

"Why?! Why did you have to check it?! "Cheryl doesn't mind stopping the stream of tears blurring her makeup.

"I don't know! "

"Why, Toni? Look at me and tell me why!"

"Because I'm in love with you! Because I couldn't handle the idea of losing you to this stupid system! I was afraid!"

"Of course..." Cheryl laughs without humor, turning and walking away. Toni feels trapped on the ground, unable to follow her, ashamed, defeated.

"Cheryl!" She tries. "I'm sorry! I was terrified! I did it because I care!"

"And you think I don't?!" She turned red and trembling. "You said that even without the memories of what is out there you were not selfish, but you broke us because of selfishness. It was for you, Toni. Not for us."

"How..." Toni sobs. "How can you not be afraid...?"

"I was with you..." She squeezed her eyes, huddled. "Why should I be afraid of anything?"

And then she's gone. And Toni stays. In thirty minutes she'll lose her, but Toni knows she lost Cheryl the moment she broke her promise. She lost Cheryl to the fear, to the uncertainty. And she knows she has disappointed Cheryl in a way that the system will never let her approach the redhead again.

She broke them. She did it alone.

Toni returns to an empty cabin and she can't stop crying. She wants to break the device with Fangs' comforting voice into a thousand pieces. She wants to jump the huge wall into the middle of nowhere and cease to exist. She wants to destroy the whole fucking system.

She wants to go back to the cabin with Jughead, where his indifference before they were friends infected her in a way she couldn't feel anything, hollow, empty, waiting to see Cheryl Blossom again.  
Now she might never see her again.

 

Cheryl practices swimming every morning. She starts to paint every afternoon. She remembers the water, the movements, the immersion. She remembers the canvases, the brushes and the colors. Every night, however, in random dates, she can no longer exist in it. She doesn't remember the faces, the voices, the names of the women with whom she is paired. She feels empty every night because if she allows herself to be filled by something, it will be because of the absence of the little pink-haired creature in her.

All the pain in the world summed up in not being with Toni Topaz.

 

Toni is surprised when she sees Veronica Lodge in the restaurant, sitting in front of her. They don't talk until they reach the cabin and Veronica opens a bottle of wine and summons her to sit in front of her in the living room.

"I saw you both some time ago, at the lake. She looked happy, happier than I've ever seen. What happened? Twelve hours again?"

"I don't want to talk about her."

"You ruined my last months with her. Finding you in that ceremony changed her completely. I know it's not your fault or hers, its not anyones fault, but I need someone to blame. "

"I screwed up, okay? I checked the expiration date and the time shortened and I fucked it up. Are you happy now?" She turned the glass of wine.

"Of course not. I've seen her later, on other dates. She seems like a shadow of the vibrant girl I had during my best months in this damn system."

Toni doesn't want to cry in front of her.

"She's going to be okay." Toni tries to convince herself. "The system is perfect, isn't?"

"If the system was perfect, you wouldn't have checked the expiration date. If the system was perfect, after the fourteen datesI had after Cheryl, I would have forgotten her. If the system was perfect, she would be happy. We're doomed in this nightmare. "

"No... This isn't true. What Cheryl and I had was perfect. It wasn't the system. I'm the one to blame. "

Veronica sighs and gets up from the couch, reaching for her. "Come on in. What was the last time you relaxed since Cheryl? "

"..." Toni's silence reassures her that she didn't.

Veronica bends to kiss her and is almost brutal between them.

"Do you mind if I think about her?" Toni almost begs.

"No. If you don't mind I think about her either." Veronica admits.

And the sex is satisfying, but aggressive and jealous and melancholic. And during the twenty-four hours they shed themselves in different pains, of different origins and intensities, colliding among the sheets of the cabin.

 

Cheryl is emerging gracefully from the pool when the device rings incessantly. "Jason?" She arches her eyebrows, wrapping herself around the red towel.

_"Good morning, Madam Blossom, I'm here to inform you that your ideal match has been selected. Congratulations! You will join her tomorrow."_

Her heart falls.

"Ideal match... The last one. And we'll meet each other tomorrow?"

_"That's correct, Madam Blossom. Your ideal match. You'll leave the system together forever and ever."_

"Can I have any information? Her name? I already know her?"

_"Negative, Madam Blossom."_

Her heart breaks entirely.

_"Before the meeting you can say goodbye to someone of your own choosing who is still in the system."_

"Say goodbye? To anyone?"

_"The system considers that this may be beneficial to your transition, Madam Blossom, whoever you wish to say goodbye to. "_

"Toni! I choose Toni. Antoinette Topaz."

_"Your choice is registered, Madam Blossom. You will meet tonight at the same restaurant as before. "_

"Thank you, Jason." She smiles to herself and turns to the pool. "Do artificial intelligence breathes underwater, Jason?"

_"I didn't understand the question, Madam Blo..."_

Cheryl throws the device into the water and runs up the stairs, almost sliding down the steps.

Jason lies at the bottom of the public pool.

 

She runs in her high heels and her red hair flutters like a winged flame in the little restaurant. All eyes immediately land on her, but she couldn't care less. Toni stands up apprehensively from the chair at the sight of her, but Cheryl will not let her speak. She holds Toni's face and kisses her and she feels disintegrated in the sublime sensation of having her again. Toni holds her waist and holds her close, as if she could never see her leaving again, kissing her back knowing, as she knew from the beginning, that it's Cheryl. It doesn't matter who the system chose for her. It's Cheryl Blossom. It has to be her.

"Baby, I..." Toni whispers.

"I missed you so much..." Cheryl whispers back, kissing her again, all the individuals and security guards and waiters looking at them.

"Fangs said we only got an hour." Toni sits down again and brings her in, embracing her with in terror. "Tomorrow is the day of my union with the ideal match."

"It's my union day too." Cheryl keeps her hands caressing her face. "But I can't do this, Toni, I want y..."

"You." Toni interrupts, kissing her again, repeatedly. "I want you, I've always wanted and I'll always want you."

 _"Darling, remember the system is perfect."_ Fangs intrudes. _"If you break the rules it can result in banishment."_

"Fuck your system, Fangs." Toni growls, clapping the device on the table.

"Listen to me, ma chérie. " Cheryl whispers. "I thought the banishment would be ideal, that if we returned to the place from where we're from we could find each other and everything would be fine, but if the system is infallible, there may not be a connection with the outside world and once banned we will not remember each other. "

"You're so smart..." Toni smiles with devotion.

"Focus, mon petit amour, please." Cheryl chuckles. "When you entered the restaurant for the first time, I knew it was you, as if it were inevitable, as if I had to find you under any circumstances, in any system, beyond any wall or probability."

"I love you." Toni continues to smile, stunned.

Cheryl almost melts at the statement, leaning into a hurried kiss. "Please, TT, this is important," She begs smiling. "I feel like we've met before, as if we already knew each other, as if we'd met a million times and knew everything about each other and everything about you would make me fall in love again and again."

"That's the most certain thing I've ever felt, Cheryl."

"You were right, this system can't be perfect, if the system were infallible it wouldn't have tried to keep us separate from the first moment, and I can't allow it to continue happening, so we need to..."

"Run away, jump over the wall." Toni pauses and holds her hands in her face. "Fuck it. Right now. I'm going anywhere with you, Cheryl Blossom. Hold my hand and I'll be with you in any uncertain reality. "

"Fuck it!" Cheryl exclaims, a tear trickling down her face.

"Language, Blossom." Toni also lets herself cry, laughing.

"It doesn't matter what's on the other side, Antoinette Topaz, I'm going to jump all over the walls with you."

"That's my girl." Toni gasps and kisses her again. "Come on."

 

They walk together the music and the voices in the restaurant are hushed. All the individuals, security guards and waiters stand up together, facing them menacingly. A shadowy man with a pistol aimed at them is the only obstacle between them and the exit.

Toni has already given in to fear before and almost lost Cheryl for it.

Never again.

She approaches bravely and Cheryl holds her arm, terrified, trying to pull her back. Toni takes a deep breath.

She will never lose Cheryl Blossom again.

She will jump over all the walls. She's going to get bullets and challenge systems. She will deactivate artificial intelligences and dive into the water even though she still can't swim.She will defeat time and logic. She'll be brave for Cheryl, but mostly for herself.

Because she understands, even without the memories of a life outside the system, that love is brave because it challenges walls and systems and logics and depths and threats.

Love surpasses all things.

Toni holds her hand and smiles at her as she smiles the first time. She comes up and puts her other hand against the barrel of the gun. The man pulls the trigger, but no bullet explodes in her skin. It's just the silence and her bravery. As if the shooter and everyone else in the restaurant froze. Like a paused computer program.

Cheryl pulls her toward the exit and they start to run.

They run and pass through each frozen person, as if time had stopped. No expiration dates. No torturous watches. No countdown.

They cross escalators, slow vehicles, dark spaces. Cheryl abandon the high heels and they grope the wall until they find the ladder whose end can't be seen. Toni holds her waist and pushes her to start climbing.

"Don't be afraid. "

"I'm not afraid." Cheryl smiles. "I'm with you. "

The world they know begins to darken and disintegrate as they ascend the steps.

Suddenly everything disappears.

Suddenly, everything is darkness.

But their hands are entwined and Toni knows they will not let go.

Numbers begin to appear before them. Seventeen. Fifty-three. Three hundred and ninety-nine. Four hundred and seventy-four. Nine hundred and twenty one. Under each number, they appear in different clothes, from different times, but always with their hands intertwined. Together.

They look around at their similar images and hold their hands tighter.

Like dancing stars, the numbers and their copies begin to turn into small bright spots and order.

A thousand simulations completed.

Nine hundred and ninety-eight registered rebellions.

 

99,8%. Match.

 

Toni looks enthusiastically at the numbers on the screen, drinking the chocolate milkshake. The girl in the poicture is the most beautiful she's ever seen and makes her heart throb, inexplicably. Panic by The Smiths sounds loud at Pop's and she eagerly searches for her pair among the young crowds at the reopening of the diner.

Sitting in a remote chair with a glass of strawberry milkshake, as if she knew the exact moment, brown eyes drift from the screen of the cell phone and find hers.

She finally sees her for the first time.

And what a vision she is...

They smile together and Toni doesn't understand exactly why they stand this way, standing still, smiling the hugest smile in the world at each other.

She finally finds the courage to approach and the girl glides gracefully from the chair, finishing the milkshake and going for her.

"Cheryl Blossom?" She picks up the phone with the match on the screen.

"Antoinette Topaz?" The redhead reflects her gesture.

"Toni." She laughs.

"Toni." Cheryl repeats softly, tilting her head to contemplate her.

"Have we met before?" Toni ventures, curious.

"I don't think so. I would certainly remember you."

"Excuse me?" Toni puts her hand dramatically over her chest. "Are you flirting with me, Miss Blossom?"

"Maybe I am." she whispers, her velvety voice blurring all Toni's senses.

"Maybe it's working." Toni answers in the same flirty tone and her greatest smile.

 

"Cheryl!" A redheaded boy searches in the crowd. "Cheryl, where are you?!"

"Did you find her, Jason?" A beautiful female voice joins his.

"No. I'm worried, Josie, she never leaves my side..."

 

"Tiny! Hey, Tiny Toni!" Toni leans over and sees Fangs at their table, looking for her. "Where are the milkshakes? I'm thirsty!"

"And I'm hungry." Jughead rolls his eyes. "She must be eating my chips, that little traitor ..."

 

Before Toni could think of what to do, a soft hand gripped hers, entwining her fingers tightly. Cheryl Blossom smiles mischievously at her and Toni decides that her friends can survive without her for some time, or for how long this mysterious stranger wants, this gorgeous redheaded creature, so familiar, that makes her feel inexplicably so happy, fearless and confident.

She holds her hand and Toni knows she will go anywhere, even though the only thing she has from her is her name and a smile capable of knocking down systems and demolishing walls.

Sneaking out to escape their friends, they laugh and run to the exit together.

Their hands never letting go.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> "Burn down the disco, hang the blessed DJ, because the music that they constantly play it says nothing to me about my life... ♪ "
> 
>  
> 
> See you guys soon! Find me on twitter, let's talk! @dokkstormur


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